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Political Participation of Ethnic Minorities in the 1980s

Ulhaner, Carol J. and Cain, Bruce E. and Kiewiet, D. Roderick (1987) Political Participation of Ethnic Minorities in the 1980s. Social Science Working Paper, 647. California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA. (Unpublished) https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170908-154322007

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Abstract

Currently political participation, especially voter registration and turnout, varies substantially with ethnicity. Blacks and non-Hispanic whites participate at roughly equal rates, while Latinos and Asian-Americans are substantially less active, this variation may reflect cultural factors, or it may be the spurious product of differences in the distribution of non-ethnic determinants of participation, including socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, variables reflecting immigration history, including citizenship, and measures of group identification. Using data collected in 1984 on samples of California's black, Latino, Asian-American, and non-Hispanic white populations, we conclude that these other variables fully account for lower Latino participation rates. Even with such controls, however, Asian-Americans remain less likely to vote. Although non-citizens participate less than citizens, they do engage in non-electoral activities, Finally, we speculate on the future political impact of Latinos and Asian-Americans, by projecting participation rates under several scenarios.


Item Type:Report or Paper (Discussion Paper)
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http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160218-133735883Related ItemPublished Version
Additional Information:This paper was prepared for delivery at the Annual Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, San Francis co, California, July 4-7, 1987. The project was funded by a grant from the Seaver Institute. We thank Amita Shastri and Chris Gallant for their assistance in the research. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1987 Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association, Anaheim, California. We would like to thank the discussants and also the participants in the Southern California Political Behavior Seminar and the Harvard American Politics Seminar for their comments.
Group:Social Science Working Papers
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Seaver InstituteUNSPECIFIED
Subject Keywords:Hispanics, Voter registration, Ethnicity, Ethnic groups, White people, Socioeconomics, Demography, Political science, Variable coefficients, Ethnic identity
Series Name:Social Science Working Paper
Issue or Number:647
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20170908-154322007
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170908-154322007
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:81275
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Jacquelyn Bussone
Deposited On:11 Sep 2017 20:37
Last Modified:03 Oct 2019 18:40

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